DIY: Transform an Old Cutting Board into a Glamorous Sign

I always love the unique touch that DIY projects add to a home. If you are in search of a new project to work on that won’t break the bank, look no further. Today I am going to show you how you can create an easy DIY sign decoration. This is a project that I made using an old wooden cutting board that we had lying around the house. The cutting board I used was still in pretty good shape despite it being using for cooking quite frequently. We also had two larger cutting boards that I am currently working on creating other signs with. Here is the first of the loop:

I love how this beachy home sign turned out! Overall, my “Home” sign only took a few hours to make. It would have taken a lot less time if I did not have to wait for the layers of paint to dry. If you read my post about my recent bathroom project, you know how much I love beach decor. So, you are probably not surprised that I decided to use a sea shell to replace the “O” in “HOME”. If you are not a fan of the beach, then feel free to personalize this project however you would like to. Additionally, feel free to spell out any word with the stickers. I chose the word “Home” because it makes me think of my home in New Jersey by the beach.

The convenient aspect of this DIY project is that you can easily find everything that you need in a nearby store if it is not in your home already. Here is a comprehensive list of everything you will need for this:

What You Need:

1 wooden cutting board (preferably one with grooves)

Acrylic paint – 2 colors

2 or more paint brushes (1 bigger one for coating & 1 small one for touch ups)

Large letter stickers

Ruler (optional)

Colorful scrap paper

1 hole puncher

Glue (I used a glue stick for the hole punches and hot glue for the stand and shell)

Glossy clear coat spray paint

1 sea shell, or your choice of what looks best

Small pieces of wood for the stand (optional)

Okay, let’s begin!

1.Paint the base coat.

In reality, the first thing you need to do for this DIY project is choose the colors you will be using. I chose a dark and light blue paint colors for my project. Once you decide what colors you will be using, it is time to paint the base coat. I did a couple layers of paint for the base. You will want to make sure that the grooves and center of the cutting board are fully coated in this color since these areas will not receive any more coatings of paint once the letters are removed. Besides that, this step is pretty straightforward.

2. Place the stickers on the board. Use a ruler if you need it!

Once the base coat of paint is dry, the next thing you will do is place the stickers on the board. I have to admit that it is quite difficult to evenly space and straighten these letters by just using your eye. Therefore, I recommend using a ruler. If you write light enough with a pencil, you can even mark where each sticker should go. You do not have to worry too much about the pencil marks since they will be painted over in the next step. Make sure the stickers are fully pressed onto the board to avoid having paint bleed underneath them.

3. Paint the top coat.

Painting the top coat of paint is a bit more difficult then painting the bottom coat of paint. First, you will not be painting in the grooves of the cutting board (if you are using the same type of board). As you can see in the picture, I did not paint straight lines on the grooves. Instead, I used a smaller brush to touch up the spaces that needed it once the paint was dry. When you are painting over the letters, try not to blob too much paint on the stickers. Do not start to paint where the sticker is. Instead, paint longer strokes back and forth across the stickers. Again, this is a technique to try and minimize the amount of paint that will bleed through under the sticker.

4. Peel the stickers and touch up!

There are a few things to cover in this step. First, it may be difficult to peel the letters off. Unfortunately, I learned a trick after this project to help peel the stickers off easier: place the board in the microwave for 20-30 seconds (if you are comfortable doing so). This will melt the glue on the stickers and make them much easier to get off of the board.

Additionally, do not get discouraged if some paint bled underneath your stickers. It happened to me in several places. However, I used a tiny paint brush to cover up the spots that needed to be fixed. It takes some patience and a steady hand, but it can be done. As you can see, you cannot notice on the final project that any paint bled through at all. Also, many of the little spots that remained after my touchup were covered when I sprayed the board with the acrylic clear coat later on.

5. Punch holes and glue them to the board.

I had some leftover scrapbook paper laying around the house from one of my previous scrapbook projects so that is what I used. However, any type of colorful paper can be used for this step.Using a single hole punch, create a bunch of holes to use on each corner of the cutting board. Before I glued the holes to the board, I created a pattern and pre-decided where each hole would be placed. To make things easier, I then picked up each hole with a pair of tweezers, placed a little bit of glue on each one using a glue stick, and placed each hole back in its respective positions. This part is probably the most tedious part of the project just because the holes are so hard to pick up and place down. Using tweezers to handle them really helped smooth the process.

6. Spray a glossy top coat.

I love using a clear glossy spray paint as a top coat for my projects. You can see from the pictures above and below this step that the clear coat really makes a difference on this project. In my opinion, the clear coat really adds the extra shine that makes this project look a little more professional than my regular DIY crafts. Additionally, the clear coat will help the project withstand wear and tear over the years. I used five layers of clear coat for this project. Let the paint dry 10-20 minutes between each coating. Again, I used a glossy acrylic spray paint for this step. You can find a link to the exact brand and bottle I used at the bottom of this post.

Be sure to spray paint outdoors and to do it in a well covered area. Never use too much paint in any one area. You will want to be steadily moving the bottle back and forth to cover your project, never holding it in any one spot.

7. Glue the shell.

I used hot glue to glue the shell in its place. One word of advice for this step – make sure you place the shell exactly where you want it when you place it down onto the board. The only thing that I am not 100% happy with about how my project turned out is the placement of the shell. I may just be picky when I say that I wish the shell was placed a centimeter or two lower than where it ended up. I would have tried to peel it off, but I did not want to risk breaking my favorite shell. If I were to do this again, I would suggest putting a mark exactly where the shell should be placed. As stated above, if you do not like the idea of using a shell for the “O” feel free to use a different item. I’m sure there are many creative options out there!

8. Create the stand

The stand for this DIY project is actually something I just threw together at the last minute. I probably should not state that on here, but let’s be honest – no one is going to be looking at the back of my project. To create this stand, I found 2 scrap pieces of wood that we had from another project. The pieces of wood are both the same length. I had to play around with the pieces of wood to find the perfect angle to set up my sign. Once I decided on an angle, I used a pencil to mark where the pieces would connect. Then, I used a knife to chisel an indent on the bottom piece of wood so that the top piece would stay in place. Next, I used a hot glue gun to glue the pieces of wood to the back of the cutting board. As you can see in the picture, neither of the wooden pieces are glued flat against the surface of the cutting board.

I know this stand is probably not the best, but it works great for me. If you have any suggestions on making a better stand, let me know in the comments. I still have two more cutting boards to make projects with!

If you are curious about what type of cutting boards I used for this DIY project, I was able to find the exact set on Amazon. Check them out here! I loved using cutting boards for this project since they are already smooth and sanded. These cutting boards are particularly great for this project since the grooves around the outside add a nice accent to the piece.

Any comments, suggestions, or feedback on this DIY project? Let me know in the comments down below. I would love to hear from you all. Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter so that you never miss an update.

OMG, I love this idea! We have tons of wooden cutting boards in the house, and this is just such a cute and easy idea. I love the picture tutorial and you explain the steps thoroughly! Plus I love how you replaced the “O” with a seashell. My mom has tons of those in the house.
Thanks for sharing

This is such a cool idea. I definintely have a few cutting boards that I could have done something with like this that definitely need to be replaced. I would have never thought to transform them that way.

Doing the DIY projects are so much fun for everyone.I love the idea of using an old cutting board for this DIY glamorous sign. This is something I will have to share with my niece to for her kids. Thanks for sharing this awesome project idea.

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[…] grew up at the beach in New Jersey. If you did not figure it out after viewing my last DIY project, the shore is what feels like home to me. I love collecting sea shells every time I visit the beach […]

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About Me

Hi there! I’m Kaitlynn.
I write about the things I love. What do I love? Creating new recipes, making innovative crafting projects, embarking on new journeys, looking at animal pictures and drinking coffee.